Avocado Brioche

1. Combine yeast and 1/3 cup almond milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add all-purpose flour, mashed avocados, 2 tablespoons almond milk, sugar, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Add bread flour and mix well until blended. Knead on medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes; dough will appear sticky, but it will not stick to fingers.

3. Add vegan margarine to the dough and knead on medium-high speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to an oil-coated bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

4. Punch dough down, cover, and let rise again for another 2 hours.

5. Combine olive oil and salt in a small bowl.

6. Divide dough into 4 equal portions and shape each into a smooth ball. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Place dough balls into prepared pan and brush with about 1/2 the oil mixture, reserving the rest. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until loaf fills the pan and mushrooms over it, about 1 hour more.

7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

8. Brush remaining oil mixture on top of the loaf.

9. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Cook's Notes:

You can use soy milk in place of almond milk.

You can mix the dough by hand if you don't have a stand mixer.

The next time I plan to decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake a little longer, if needed, to prevent the top from heating too fast.